The Team

Born into a family of wanderers and with a diploma in tourism under my belt, I have always loved sports, travel and people, searching for the magic thread that connects them all. I found it in the form of a bicycle. My two wheels allow me to feel part of the landscape, to be greeted as an old friend by strangers, admire new horizons and simply to be out there. My pedal baptism? – A year on the saddle discovering Europe and what makes us all the same and yet unique. An experience so powerful and fulfilling that it wrote the script for my next chapter: my bike became my profession.

A physical trait of mine I love? – It's got to be my curls: free and windswept, just how I like to live! Ever since I was a wee girl, I've always looked around me dying to discover something new: I think I was two when I first ran away from home to explore the village piazza! A passion for foreign languages and cultures is something I've nurtured through my studies, along with sport. My bike became my favourite wheels during my years in Dublin. The Emerald Island's winds and rains have turned me into the toughie I am: there's no stopping me now!

Originally from Trieste and a traveller from a young age, in the course of my Environmental Science degree at university I set off for the most magical, outlandish and unpolluted of all territories: Iceland! On the road, there is nothing better for me than sitting down to a spread of local dishes and chatting to locals, hearing their stories and sharing with other travellers experiences that will make me dream – perhaps in front of a smørrebrød, a steaming goulash or a humble pan y tomate, a good Wachau wine, or a bowl of tortelli di Valeggio.

Despite my German roots I have always been in love with Italy and Italians, not least for their gastronomy and wine. I adore travelling, striking up new friendships and getting to know new countries. My bike is my perfect travel buddy, especially in the summer. When I am not wandering around the world you will find me in Dresden, helping Italian and German visitors discover the city known as "Florence on the Elbe".

Two-wheeled traveller by choice and tour guide by profession, my career is all about the open air. Even the lure of Vicenza cannot keep me in town for long: if I am not on the mountain slopes I am on the road discovering new horizons. Linking up with Girolibero was inevitable and it was love at first sight. My most memorable travels? Australia, Patagonia and anywhere else down-under!

A nomadic childhood straddling East and West probably accounts for my later life as a bike&boat tour leader and linguist. I blame an eccentric grandmother for the rest: a passion for the Venice Lands (where my roots lie), their history, culture, wines and dialect – which I love to share with my groups on two wheels. Cycling also lets you absorb your surroundings, stop and chat with strangers, observe the birdlife (I never get tired of the Po Delta). My partner and daughters share my enthusiasm for Girolibero life and gelato, and are tolerant of my enjoyment of lower league football.

Dutch by birth but a citizen of the world, I have also lived in Italy, which I know and love as much as I love Italians! I have a sunny personality and what I love most about my job is laughing and joking with new people. I am a hydraulic engineer and enjoy taking Italians around to discover Holland, with its windmills, tulips and canals. I also lead bike&boat tours in Italy, between Mantova and Venice – a type of tour which is common in Holland and now popular further south too. When I am not leading Girolibero tours, I cycle around the world, read and dance the tango.

I hold a degree in Political Sciences and have led tours for many years – cycling trips as well as bike&boat ones – in Holland and other countries too. I am passionately enthusiastic about my job: it brings me happiness and the opportunity to meet new people and hear their stories and ideas. They say that in my groups laughter is always guaranteed – so... step aboard and find out for yourself! My heart, incidentally, is tied to Italy in more ways than one: my partner Barbara is an authentic Pugliese.

I was born and bred in Mestre (mainland Venice) where I took to cycling at a very early age out of fun and passion. You will still catch me cycling through the hills of theVenice Lands, along the banks of the Brenta or the Lagoon, which I also like exploring by canoe. Travel is something I enjoy best pushing pedals: I have traversed Europe from London to Venice by bike and explored Thailand, Australia and South America. With Girolibero I spend the summer in Provence and Camargue, where the landscape is similar to my homeland – all regions I love profoundly.

Sports trainer, in love with the Great Outdoors and... Ireland. I espouse Pierre de Coubertin's philosophy, which advocates that sport is not just about competing, but also a lifestyle, pleasurable, healthy and for absolutely everyone – and that what matters is to partake in it, not winning. My greatest passion is my family: Marta and my children Mattia and Aurora. The only sports my kids do at the moment is cuddling – and for the time being I am fine with that!

I was born in Romagna but am Bolognese by adoption. I grew up to the rhythm of polka and mazurca, and then the dance beats of the Eighties. I have worked in all manner of jobs, from welder to masseuse, to keep me going through my studies until, in 1998, a summer job turned into a career as a professional guide. From that point onwards I set off touring by bike, vespa and on foot, in Italy and the rest of Europe – but beyond my continent too, non-stop! A passionate cycle tourist and traveller, I love horse riding, scuba diving, comedy and live music. I adore kids and animals, both two- and four-legged...

If being born on lofty ground – at the foot of the Bergamasque Pre-Alps – gave me my sense of adventure, water is very much my natural element: sailing, scuba diving, voyaging. The steps from family holidays to back-packing, to tour leading all came easy, and discovering the big world out there soon became my passion – and don't get me started on architecture! Whether it's trekking on the Côte d'Azur, scratching under the cultural surface of the Baltic Republics, or island-hopping through the Cyclades, what I always pack in my bag is inquisitiveness, enthusiasm and a smile!

I teach English and German, and never get tired of pedalling. Like all good citizens of the Veneto on tour, I strive to be precise and give it my all: in fact the best possible reward for me is seeing people enjoying themselves on their holiday. I adore large towns – I need a good fix from time to time, and throw myself in headlong – the travelling, the people who fuel me. Nothing gives me a better buzz than a good group tour, especially on my own saddle!

I am 50% Dutch and 50% Italian, and my bike is both my hobby and my job. From April to October I lead cycling tours in Italy and abroad, but even in my free time, my passion for nature and the woods makes me jump on a bike – especially my MTB. In winter I work at a skiing school in Val Badia... quite a change from the flats of Holland to the mountains of Northern Italy. Before tour leading, I used to teach the disabled, the elderly and children. Besides cycling I love skiing, walking, reading and playing music.